Think Progress

Kristol on whether he owes the American public an apology for hyping Iraq WMD claims: ‘No.’

On Friday, the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. A caller criticized his publication for hyping President Bush’s pre-invasion lies about WMD in Iraq, and asked him to apologize to the American public. Kristol refused, saying that the war has been a smashing success:

CALLER: All of y’all hyped that to a degree that was just unimaginable. Even President Bush admitted there were no weapons of mass destruction there. In lieu of that fact — being the fact that there are 4,500 American lives lost there — will you personally apologize to those folks right now? Simple yes or no. Thank you.

KRISTOL: No. I think the war was right, and I think we’ve succeeded in the war. And I think those lives — we should honor those soldiers who gave their lives and who fought so hard, and also were wounded for what they did.

Kristol then tried to switch the topic, saying, “And also in Afghanistan, incidentally, it’s President Obama who’s announcing the increase in troops today. It’s not something he was forced into by the Weekly Standard or anyone else.” (As ThinkProgress noted this morning, Obama’s strategy for Afghanistan-Pakistan is not the same as Bush’s surge in Iraq.) Watch it:



69 Responses to “Kristol on whether he owes the American public an apology for hyping Iraq WMD claims: ‘No.’”

  1. wiley says:

    Sold a lot of weapons. Yep. Yep.


  2. Zooey Lepidoptera says:

    That wasn’t the question, Bloody Kristol.


  3. Zooey Lepidoptera says:

    Kristol thinks the war was right because he made a lot of money. He doesn’t give a shit about the troops.


  4. ralph the wonder locust says:

    Is there some kind of pundit’s union these guys belong to? Some kind of powerful organization that protects their jobs as pundits no matter how spectacularly and arrogantly wrong they are?


  5. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    .

    Bill KKKristol said:

    Only (R)ushpublickins know what a real surge is. Just like facts!

    .


  6. Above the Clouds says:

  7. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    .

    One can now deduce that Bill KKKristol is proud to have been involved in the murder of 4261 U.S. Service Wo/Men to date.

    The man lacks shame.

    .


  8. delafield says:

    Kristol and all the neocons lied about WMDs in Iraq. Over 4,500 American troops died.

    Why does the mainstream media invite this liar on their shows?


  9. dixie blood says:

    Zooey,

    Kristol doesn’t give a sh|t about America either.


  10. woodguy says:

    Kristol is the very definition of smarmy. He never has nor will he ever contribute anything useful to public discourse or any other aspect of society.

    He is a parasite, pure and simple.

    He should be mocked, ridiculed and shamed every time he shows his face in public.


  11. angels81 says:

    Bloody Kristol is just another chicken hawk who never served his country, but didn’t have a problem sending someone else. This pig should be dropped in the middle of Iraq with a canteen and a 45 and a target on his back.


  12. Marie says:

    Must we start peppering C-Span with emails on their apparent bias? Did the moderator try to provide facts? Why does C-Span present republicans 2 to 1 over democrats? Why does C-Span present ideologs like the neocon, Kristol, as if he were legitimate?

    Dick Armey did a bit of fear mongering on Washington Journal/ C-Span 3/26, when he said that for the first time in his life we have a president that “scares” him.
    WTF? After Bush, NOW, Armey is “scared”?

    On March 25th, a caller falsely claims Oama is a fascist (apparently the caller doesn’t understand the definition of fascism), and Rep. Cantor doesn’t correct his false accusation, but agrees with it, and the moderator allows this to go unchallenged.


  13. old_hack says:

    I think Obama owes us an apology for how he responded to the demands of the people that took the time to go to his website and vote on his pretend referendum.


  14. fire _ant_chavis says:

    Kristol is a pathetic excuse for a human being! He has no guts just cogs and screws! I can’t wait for the prosecutions to start. I’d call him a worm but that would be an insult to worms!


  15. angels81 says:

    old hack Says: Off topic guy, wrong thread.


  16. Oval12345678 aka James K. Sayre says:

    Kristol is just another stupid worthless lying war criminal. Wasn’t he the same guy that suggested a couple of years ago that we needed to REinvade Iraq to kill off some anti-occupation Iraqis? Or was that another moronic neo-con?


  17. tbone says:

    All those who expected a different response, raise your hand.

    That’s what I thought.


  18. fire _ant_chavis says:

    old_hack Says: I spew foolishness!

    Are you a new troll?


  19. singe_101 says:

    Why would he apologize, the war got him more face time and cash.

    He doesn’t have to serve or even be accountable for entertainment, I mean “news” these days. What, me worry?


  20. flight says:

    Kristol, how could he admit he made to a mistake? 4500 American soldiers and an untold number of Iraqi civilians dead, a small fortune and a completely destroyed country. The smug arrogance of this guy who contributed to this disaster. Were is accountable, I hope this guy’s career is over. The least he could do!


  21. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    Marie,
    Is it because reality has a librul bias and the MSM ain’t gonna be a part of that reality B.S.? Facts? Facts? What facts? Why, it’s only factual when it’s aligned with (R)ushpublickin talking points, YES?

    /snark


  22. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    chavis,
    Naw, just an old_hack trying to smoke his pot legally.


  23. Keith H. says:

    After he gets what he deserves for what he’s done, which is prison time, I’m fairly sure he would have a change of hart and apologize, endlessly.


  24. dixie blood says:

    OT but great news…

    http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/spain-consider-torture-related-charge

    Gonzales will not be vacationing in Spain anytime soon…


  25. Marie says:

    I usually only watch C-Span in the morning or if there is a special event in the Congress — and at one time, it could be relied upon that programs like those on C-Span would be independent and non partisan — but the trend is going away from that and I don’t understand why – There are no sponsors to satisfy.



  26. NoBS says:

    No surprises here.

    American blood is always worth a few bucks here and there for neocons like Kristol and those connected “businesses” that stood to prosper.

    Was the blood of your loved ones worth it to you?


  27. mary lacewing says:

    Perhaps Billy hasn’t heard this news yet:

    Iraqi security forces and Awakening Council members clashed Saturday in Baghdad, leaving two civilians dead, 13 other people wounded, and five Iraqi soldiers kidnapped, a military official told CNN.

    or this:

    In another part of Iraq on Sunday, a road blast in southern Basra killed five civilians and wounded six others, an Iraqi army official said.

    or:

    Meanwhile, a second roadside bomb — also targeting a police patrol — wounded eight officers in northern Iraq.

    Billy will say that he was right until he expires.


  28. dixie blood says:

    #27 – Marie,

    From wikipedia.org:

    Despite its stated commitment to providing politically balanced programming, C-SPAN and its shows such as Washington Journal, Booknotes, Q & A, and Afterwords have been accused of having a conservative bias[12]. C-SPAN’s CEO Brian Lamb was a volunteer for Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign, and later worked as press secretary to Peter H. Dominick (R-CO)[13]. The liberal media criticism organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) released a study of C-SPAN’s morning call-in show Washington Journal, showing that Republicans were favored as guests over Democrats by a two-to-one margin during a six-month period in 2005, and that people of color are underrepresented.[14] FAIR and critics including guests[15] have also charged that the shows Booknotes and Afterwords highlight more conservative authors than liberals[16], and that guests are paired unequally. Washington Post ombudsman Geneva Overholser commented on this when she appeared as a guest, asking, “Do you typically have a conservative and then somebody who is just a journalist? Is that the typical match-up?”[17]

    In 2005, the left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters for America took issue that L. Brent Bozell, the head of the right-leaning Media Research Center, was booked by C-SPAN2 to interview former CBS producer Mary Mapes on After Words, following an incident where the authenticity of some documents used to support a report on then-campaigning President George W. Bush’s Texas National Guard stint were questioned.[18]

    A separate controversy occurred in 2004, when C-SPAN planned to broadcast a speech by Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt paired with a speech by Holocaust denier David Irving. Irving unsuccessfully sued Lipstadt for libel in the United Kingdom in 2000. C-SPAN claimed airing Lipstadt’s speech adjacently with Irving’s would provide a “balance” of opinions. However, due to the uproar from outraged viewers, liberal groups, and Jewish organizations, C-SPAN canceled the broadcasts of both speeches.

    And if you consider that the pressure from the facists on the reich to make C-Span “balance” its views is always present then it’s easy to see why things are skewed reich-wing.


  29. SP Biloxi says:

    “Kristol on whether he owes the American public an apology for hyping Iraq WMD claims: ‘No.”

    Nothing new. On planet Earth, real earthlings take personal responsibilities, admit mistakes, learn from it, and move on. In Planet Wingnuttia world of Kristol, you deny, distort, and spin. Not apologizing to the public for hyping Iraq WMD, will come back to bite Vampire Kristol.


  30. dixie blood says:

    #28 – Max,

    Yes…I missed the earlier link from TP. My apoligies.


  31. jb says:

    Kristol owe America silence.


  32. dixie blood says:

    #27 – Marie,

    Notice also how the Democratic call in line is always full of faux Democrats that claim they now have a problem with being a Democrat. It always starts with, “I’ve been a Democrat all of my life, but…”

    Why aren’t those calls screened out? Why are so many allowed through. I never hear this on the Republican or Independent lines.

    BTW, the weekend programming, like Book Notes, prevents us who work during the week from seeing critical repeats of events that occured during the week. I would like to see repeats of congressional hearings, etc. so I can see for myself what’s going on. YouTube.com helps get beyond this problem C-Span imposes.


  33. Gregor Samsa says:

    Kristol obviously doesn’t understand that, if you have to lie to the public to gain their support for any given cause, said cause cannot be noble and/or right.


  34. Gregor Samsa says:

    No. I think the war was right, and I think we’ve succeeded in the war.
    ~Kristol

    Translation: I piss on your rules, ethics, and laws -which happen to be for little people, by the way. The war is right and we have succeeded because I say so. Facts be damned.


  35. upside99 says:

    What other answer would you expect from one of the slimiest of the slimiest NeoCons? Like father like son.

    And, as mentioned, a great way to make lot’s of money while pushing your Israeli agenda with that rag, the Weakly (sub)standard.


  36. Hoodathunktick says:

    If there has been a purpose to any major US armed conflict/war in the past 100 years other than to make some people a sh*tload of money, I’d like to hear it.

    WWII is a possible exception but not totally.


  37. joe cantwell says:

    ***

    he can stuff his apology.

    but he owes me twenty bucks

    and i want it.

    ***

    now.

    :\


  38. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    dixie,
    I just couldn’t resist. Normally it is ME that re-posts what others posted… :?


  39. 08Dariana says:

    These people should all be held accountable and put behind bars.


  40. RUCeriousDragonfly says:

    Err. Billy, check out the news that the Awakening Councils are beginning to revolt against the treatment of the majority party in Baghdad and Anwar as well.

    Sure, you can have success, if you call ethnic cleansing ’success’…


  41. dbearton says:

    Billy Kristol, a Fascist Pig! He owes his mother an apology.


  42. Pachydiplax St. Augustine says:

    dixie blood Says:

    I would like to see repeats of congressional hearings, etc.

    dixie check out http://www.c-span.org/ and their video library.


  43. dixie blood says:

    #46 – Pachydiplax St. Augustine,

    Thanks for the link…


  44. Rich H says:

    Kristol’s just lucky he lives in the USA. Anywhere else he’d be in jail.


  45. mikehunt says:

    Terkel: Now that you been on television nine times over nothing, stop flattering yourself. You’re just a little t*rd in a big bowl. For every Kristol, there are four Obama people that haven’t paid their taxes.


  46. wisdomofwords says:

    It’s criminal having these neocons on who spew this crap and have been nothing but wrong on everything.
    It it’s obvious who is running the media in this country.


  47. Eugene atrax robustus Debs says:

    mikehunt Says:

    Congratulations. That was a spectacularly stupid and worthless comment. You brainwashed morons just love to prove to everyone how stupid you are. For every hivemind moron like YOU there are a hundred normal humans that pity you for your mindless stupidity


  48. Eugene atrax robustus Debs says:

    wisdomofwords Says:

    That is what drives me crazy. Kristol hasnt gotten anything but his name right for about 8 years now but somehow he is still considered an expert. What does he have to do to destroy whatever is supporting his credibility? Will he have to predict that aliens from Betelguese will invade and enslave mankind unless we nuke Mecca?


  49. Chocolate Jesus says:

    THe war hasnt been a “smashing success”…forming and bribing (with U.S. taxpayer money)the Sunni “awakening” councils has only posponed the inevitable civil war that will come to iraq at some point..

    US-backed Iraqi troops quell 2 dat Baghdad uprising:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090329/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq


  50. Chocolate Jesus says:

    2 DAY uprising, sorry,,,


  51. Marie says:

    #31 dixie blood

    Thanks for that! I feel validated in my observations.


  52. Marie says:

    Troll, mikehunt, is displaying his sophomoric intellect in his comments as well as in his name.


  53. flight says:

    mikehunt Says:

    Congratulations. That was a spectacularly stupid and worthless comment. You brainwashed morons just love to prove to everyone how stupid you are. For every hivemind moron like YOU there are a hundred normal humans that pity you for your mindless stupidity

    It has been proven (QED). This guy appears to be the average, typical Republican. This is what was in the white house for 8 years. I don’t find that a comforting thought!!!!!


  54. ken melvin says:

    Kristol is of a warlike tribe.


  55. wiley says:

    Kristol is a neocon. Neocons are ideological moonbats. Whether or not attacking Iraq was beneficial is of no concern to him. He thought we should attack Iraq. We did. He’s satisfied with that. The best way for people of his ilk to mitigate failure is to attack another country. It’s a crusade mentality, that happens to be very profitable for him and his.


  56. fletc3her says:

    An apology requires a degree of self reflection which Bill Kristol simply does not have. It has never and will never be his goal to present accurate information to his readers. As such he feels no need to apologize for just making stuff up and acting as an administration propaganda shill. The fact that he refuses to apologize for past errors demonstrates that he is not a responsible newsman and should never be mistaken as such.


  57. Xisithrus, Hemiptera says:

    Kristol is the poster child for failing upwards.

    Much like AIGs financial products division


  58. Xisithrus, Hemiptera says:

    mikehunt Says: Terkel: Now that you been on television nine times over nothing, stop flattering yourself. You’re just a little t*rd in a big bowl. For every Kristol, there are four Obama people that haven’t paid their taxes.

    What does Kristols cheerleading for war, well before 911, have to do with O’Reillys paprazzi tactics?

    Some 65% of corporations pay no taxes…does that make them Obamaists?


  59. speshuled67 (locust in training) says:

    man, its like the trolls aren’t even trying anymore…
    all they can come up with is ‘NO U!!!!!’

    its kinda sad, really.


  60. Pelotonpro 048 says:

    Kristol is an editor of a Murdoch front organization that has a circulation of 60,000. More people than that live within 10 blocks of my building! Need the legitimate media outlets give him a bully pulpit. I encourage my progressive brothers and sisters too keep track of his mouth on C-span and Newshounds. I am loathe to registering hits on their websites. The sponsors may mistake this as giving them a veneer of legitimacy! The only thing that can make them go away is economic starvation. Short of electing another Repugnican administration and having the entire economy go down the toilet, this is the only way I can think of bringing about this truly constructive change. America First!!!


  61. MapleStreet says:

    The funny thing is that military brass can look back on a campaign with regret for the high cost – even for wars which have a just cause.

    But a chickenhawk never regrets an action no matter how high the cost nor how unjust the war.


  62. researcher says:

    we are an imperialist country.

    we did not learn our lessons from nam.

    maybe we will this time but dont bet on it.

    super power status is an american ego thing.

    only as complete economic meltdown will curb americans desire to be a super power.

    we will even borrow huge sums of money our grandchildren will have to pay back to keep our super power image.

    like the bully on the block we americans will not give up that bully image until we are completely bankrupt.


  63. seo-yarismasi says:

    uhh! that is amazing. i dont know what i say. perhaps i say it is perfect.Anime ?zle is very popular site
    visit there. And Clubturk.net-2. Seo Yar??mas? – Kahrolsun ?srail Zulmü is very popular site
    visit there too. And “NesMedya Haber Video Oyun Seo Yar??mas?” is very popular site
    visit there too. thay are allways perfect.


  64. NoMoreWarForIsrael says:

    by Philip Weiss – May 23, 2007

    A little while ago I blogged about Norman Podhoretz’s statement in 1979 that neoconservatism arose in part out of a Jewish concern that the Democratic Party wanted to scale back the military, and this represented a direct threat to Israel’s security.

    I sense that Bill Kristol and Irving Kristol have the exact same view of the role of the US military when it comes to Israel’s national security. The difference here is rhetorical. Irving was writing for a Jewish audience in 1973, and doing so as a mere New York intellectual, a professor and editor. Bill was addressing a wider, gentile audience, and doing so from a far more empowered position. He had been Dan Quayle’s chief of staff, he was in Washington, he had the ear of policymakers.

    The moral? It took 30 years for neoconservatives to get all the way inside, and as they did so they became less explicit about their agendas.

    Listen to Phil discuss the War for Israel agenda:
    antiwar.com/radio/2008/07/12/philip-weiss/
    antiwar.com/radio/2009/03/18/philip-weiss-2/

    philipweiss.org – blogging daily all things Neocon, Israel Lobby, Zionism


  65. Uncle Ho says:

    Tar & Feathers would be too kind for this cowardly draft-dodging chickenhawk POS.


  66. sscncturn64 says:

    All these rightwing clowns think everything is just peachy in Iraq, and they will never admit to their mistakes.


  67. DNFP says:

    If you expect me to take strategic military advice from a draft-dodging piece of shit like this, send his a$$ to the front line in Afghanistan and let’s give him some much needed credibility.

    If he makes it back alive, check back with me for further directives.


  68. Robt says:

    As Dean wrote in his book, “Conservatives without a conscience”.



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